After 5 Years
by Princess Insomniac
Summary: After five years, Taiga finally returns to Ryuuji...and she wants him back. Will he be able to accept her and love her once again. Will he even accept her apology after she left him for so long? Read and review!


_**After 5 Years...**_

Ryuuji awoke to the sting of sunlight-well, what he called sunlight. He pulled himself from his bed and to the window. His eyes fell upon a building that he had been watching for five years. Hoping, wishing, and watching that one window desperately. He wanted badly to see the small and adorable face of Taiga pop out from the window. He wanted her to scold him for something, call him stupid, and then smile that beautiful smile. He missed that. Sometimes he would sit and wonder about where she was and if she was thinking about him too. Ryuuji was about to turn away from the window when he was a light flicker on. His heart skipped a beat when he saw a small shadow walk past the window. His eyes widened. Who was in her house? Could…could it really be her? Without a second thought, Ryuuji bolted out the door in his pajamas. He found himself at Taiga's door in an instant. Softly, he knocked, closing his eyes for a brief moment. He tried to slow his breathing, but it was useless. When he heard the creak of the door opening, his eyes flew open. His heart pounded hard in his chest as his eyes trailed down to meet the sparkling eyes of his past love. His almost wife, Taiga, wore a brilliant smile. One that closely resembled that of a fierce tiger. Mischief lay fully on her expression; just like it had the day she left.

"Ryuuji…"

She whispered, her eyes never leaving his. Her words and the sound of her voice startled Ryuuji. It had truly been so long. He wanted to speak. To say something and let her know how glad he was that she was back. The words caught in his throat. How was he supposed to say it? He tried again and again to clear his throat and make his voice sound less shocked than his expression looked. It failed miserably.

"T-Taiga…you're…back…"

He felt choked up and confused. He gulped, trying hard not to cry. She was back, standing right here in front of him, and all he could do was acknowledge the extremely obvious. Taiga looked down for a split second before returning her eyes to his.

"Yeah…yeah I am."

She was helplessly grasping for the words to say. What was the right way to explain why she had come back? She decided to follow her heart and speak her mind. Something she would very rarely do.

"I…I came back for you. Ryuuji…I…I still love you. A-And I want you to love me too but after I left…I hesitated to come back because I didn't know how you would react. I understand if you're mad because well I left and that was wrong to do but I felt as though I needed to follow my heart and I'm so sorry. But now I'm back and…and…and I love you, I always have and I want to be to-"

Ryuuji pressed his lips to hers softly, pulling her small body towards him. He pulled away after what he wished could be forever. The way she looked as he pulled back made him realize that while she did leave him with only a note, he still loved her. He still wanted to hold her in his arms, stroke her hair and whisper to her about how beautiful she was. He still wanted badly to marry the palmtop tiger. All of the feelings he had for her came rushing back to him with one glance at her face. He stood and stared at her for a long period of time, watching as her expression changed from confusion to worry. The silence between them seemed to last an eternity. Finally, he leaned down and captured Taiga's soft lips in another kiss. Taiga stood on her tippy toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes fluttering closed. She was the first to pull away this time. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her pretty face. Ryuuji wiped them away with his thumb and Taiga smiled.

"You…love me again?"

Ryuuji smiled, picking his tiger up and spinning her around in a circle. Taiga laughed and smiled. He put her down and she tilted her head to the side as he spoke.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Always and forever. Don't you remember? I am the dragon and you are the tiger. The dragon is the only one that has been known to tame the tiger. We belong together. I love you, Taiga."

Taiga giggled at this, this sound musical and her smile lit up her face as well as Ryuuji's soul. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her again. She took his hands and laced her fingers with his. Her nose touched his and she looked deep into those black eyes of her lover.

"I love you too, Ryuuji."

Once again, Taiga felt as though she was complete. She once again had somewhere she belonged, and someone to love her. She was no longer lonely, and she planned to have things stay this way for as long as she lived. This was the way things should be. The way things were meant to be. Ryuuji and herself, the tiger and the dragon, their souls intertwining, never to be broken apart.

A/N: I wrote this in class, the day after I finished watching the series. It made me cry. Just wanted to write a little fanfic about it.


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